Excellent example is the cupping of hardwood floors, which "cup"
(concave side up) when wet from the underneath ... dry on the top, wet
on bottom ... one of the main reasons why a moisture barrier is always
used _beneath_ a hardwood floor.
[Swingman]

This doesn't hold water ;-) when speaking of this table top. The bottom is
not likely to be "soaked" in water but free to dry, much more so than the
top. The top is exposed to water (rain, spillage), whereas the underside has
little exposure to water except for the little that drips around the edges of
the table and which gravity will pull it off immediately.

The bottom side of the table top looks nearly pristine, whereas the top looks
like it's been through a war: the factory finish (polyurethane?) is still on
the underside of the wood but long since baked off the top (from sun
exposure).